Identification, functional characterization and expression profiling of three triterpene synthases from the legume plant Vigna unguiculata.

Oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs) are important regulatory enzymes involved in cyclization reactions of 2, 3-oxidosqualene to form triterpenes and sterols. This study presents the identification and characterization of three OSC genes, a β - amyrin synthase (VuβAS), a lupeol synthase (VuLUS) and a cycloartenol synthase (VuCAS) in Vigna unguiculata, an edible leguminous plant with high nutritional and nutraceutical value. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the VuβAS, VuLUS and VuCAS were clustered within the clades of previously characterized β - amyrin synthases, lupeol synthases and cycloartenol synthases.

N-Source Determines Barley Productivity, Nutrient Accumulation, and Grain Quality in Cyprus Rainfed Agricultural Systems.

The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region is already experiencing the negative effects of increased temperatures and the increase in prolonged drought periods. The use of organic fertilization could be a valuable tool to meet the main challenges of climate change and maintain the productivity, quality, and sustainability of rainfed agricultural ecosystems. In the current study, we compare the effect of manure, compost, and chemical fertilization (NHNO) on barley grain and straw yield in a field study for three consecutive growing seasons.

LCA of Barley Production: A Case Study from Cyprus.

Greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) produced by agriculture contribute to global warming and climate change.

Differential response of NO emissions, NO-producing and NO-reducing bacteria to varying tetracycline doses in fertilized soil.

Tetracyclines are the most widely used antibiotics worldwide. Their presence in soils could affect nutrient cycling, but our knowledge regarding how they affect soil microbial communities involved in greenhouse gas emissions is limited. The objective of the current study was to evaluate how tetracycline is affecting NO emissions and the abundance of denitrifiers in fertilized soil.

Land use in urban areas impacts the composition of soil bacterial communities involved in nitrogen cycling. A case study from Lefkosia (Nicosia) Cyprus.

The different types of land-use and soil lithology in urban and peri-urban areas of modern cities compose a complex mosaic of soil ecosystems. It is largely unknown how these differences result in changes in bacterial community composition and structure as well as in functional guilds involved in N cycling. To investigate the bacterial composition and the proportion of denitrifiers in agricultural, forested, schoolyard and industrial areas, 24 samples were collected from urban and peri-urban sites of Lefkosia.

The effect of chemical and organic N inputs on NO emission from rain-fed crops in Eastern Mediterranean.

Nitrogen has a significant contribution to global warming and its reduction in agriculture is expected to reduce NO emissions having however adverse effects on the productivity of agricultural ecosystems. Maintaining systems productivity with alternative N sources i.e manure and composts could be a strategy also to mitigate NO emissions.

Valorization of agricultural wastes could improve soil fertility and mitigate soil direct NO emissions.

The emerging need for sustainable management of the increasing quantities of urban and industrial organic wastes creates opportunities for the development of alternative strategies for the improvement of degraded soils. The current study was performed to examine the effects of agricultural wastes application on soil bacterial community as well as CO and NO direct gas emissions. Untreated soils were compared with soils, which received the same amount of N (100 μg/g soil) in the form of ammonium nitrate and organic agricultural waste.

Optimizing Resource Allocation in a Cowpea ( L. Walp.) Landrace Through Whole-Plant Field Phenotyping and Non-stop Selection to Sustain Increased Genetic Gain Across a Decade.

Cowpea is a warm-season legume, often characterized as an orphan or underutilized crop, with great future potential, particularly under the global change. A traditional cowpea landrace in Cyprus is highly valued for fresh pod consumption in the local cuisine. In order to improve the yield potential of the landrace, the long-term response to direct selection for fresh pod yield and the associated changes in fodder and root biomass were investigated in a variety of fertility regimes under real field conditions.

The effects of different soil nutrient management schemes in nitrogen cycling.

It is imperative for sustainable agriculture to explore practices and inputs creating low NO emission capacity without reducing the productivity of the agricultural system. To evaluate different nutrient management schemes, a microcosm study was conducted to assess the direct NO emission from soil. Four different treatments were used to provide a preliminary assessment of NO emissions, as well as the concentrations of nitrates (NO) and ammonium (NH) produced in soil: compost (derived from green plant residues), chickpea residues (green manure) in two different N concentrations (2.

Converting environmental risks to benefits by using spent coffee grounds (SCG) as a valuable resource.

Coffee is perhaps one of the most vital ingredients in humans' daily life in modern world. However, this causes the production of million tons of relevant wastes, i.e.

Detection and geographical distribution of the organophosphate resistance-associated Δ3Q ace mutation in the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi).

Background: The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is the most important pest of olives. Its control is based mostly on organophosphate (OP) insecticides, a practice that has led to resistance development. OP resistance in B.

Organophosphate resistance in olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, populations in Greece and Cyprus.

The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the most important pest of olives in countries around the Mediterranean basin. Its control has been based mostly on bait sprays with organophosphate insecticides (usually dimethoate or fenthion) for about 40 years. In the present study, the resistance status of olive fruit fly populations to dimethoate was examined in Greece and Cyprus over 2 years.